Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 48

9370 RNC

UA06 Functional Description


TMO18025 Issue 1

STUDENT GUIDE

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

All rights reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


Passing on and copying of this document, use and communication of its
contents not permitted without written authorization from Alcatel-Lucent

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 1

Empty page
Switch to notes view!

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

This page is left blank intentionally

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 2

Terms of Use and Legal Notices


1. Safetyto
Warning
Switch
notes view!
Both lethal and dangerous voltages may be present within the products used herein. The user is strongly advised not to
wear conductive jewelry while working on the products. Always observe all safety precautions and do not work on the
equipment alone.
The equipment used during this course may be electrostatic sensitive. Please observe correct anti-static precautions.

2. Trade Marks
Alcatel-Lucent and MainStreet are trademarks of Alcatel-Lucent.
All other trademarks, service marks and logos (Marks) are the property of their respective holders, including AlcatelLucent. Users are not permitted to use these Marks without the prior consent of Alcatel-Lucent or such third party owning
the Mark. The absence of a Mark identifier is not a representation that a particular product or service name is not a Mark.
Alcatel-Lucent assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information presented herein, which may be subject to
change without notice.

3. Copyright
This document contains information that is proprietary to Alcatel-Lucent and may be used for training purposes only. No
other use or transmission of all or any part of this document is permitted without Alcatel-Lucents written permission, and
must include all copyright and other proprietary notices. No other use or transmission of all or any part of its contents may
be used, copied, disclosed or conveyed to any party in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from
Alcatel-Lucent.
Use or transmission of all or any part of this document in violation of any applicable legislation is hereby expressly
prohibited.
User obtains no rights in the information or in any product, process, technology or trademark which it includes or
describes, and is expressly prohibited from modifying the information or creating derivative works without the express
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009
3written consent of Alcatel-Lucent.
9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

All rights reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

4. Disclaimer
In no event will Alcatel-Lucent be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages, including
lost profits, lost business or lost data, resulting from the use of or reliance upon the information, whether or not AlcatelLucent has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Mention of non-Alcatel-Lucent products or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an
endorsement, nor a recommendation.
This course is intended to train the student about the overall look, feel, and use of Alcatel-Lucent products. The
information contained herein is representational only. In the interest of file size, simplicity, and compatibility and, in some
cases, due to contractual limitations, certain compromises have been made and therefore some features are not entirely
accurate.
Please refer to technical practices supplied by Alcatel-Lucent for current information concerning Alcatel-Lucent equipment
and its operation, or contact your nearest Alcatel-Lucent representative for more information.
The Alcatel-Lucent products described or used herein are presented for demonstration and training purposes only. AlcatelLucent disclaims any warranties in connection with the products as used and described in the courses or the related
documentation, whether express, implied, or statutory. Alcatel-Lucent specifically disclaims all implied warranties,
including warranties of merchantability, non-infringement and fitness for a particular purpose, or arising from a course of
dealing, usage or trade practice.
Alcatel-Lucent is not responsible for any failures caused by: server errors, misdirected or redirected transmissions, failed
internet connections, interruptions, any computer virus or any other technical defect, whether human or technical in
nature

5. Governing Law
The products, documentation and information contained herein, as well as these Terms of Use and Legal Notices are
governed by the laws of France, excluding its conflict of law rules. If any provision of these Terms of Use and Legal
Notices, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, is held invalid for any reason, unenforceable including,
but not limited to, the warranty disclaimers and liability limitations, then such provision shall be deemed superseded by a
valid, enforceable provision that matches, as closely as possible, the original provision, and the other provisions of these
Terms of Use and Legal Notices shall remain in full force and effect.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 3

Blank Page
Switch to notes view!

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

This page is left blank intentionally

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 4

Course Outline
1. RNC
About
ThisSituation
Course

4. Topic/Section is Positioned Here

Course outline
1. RNC Situation
Technical
support
2.
Functional
Architecture
Course objectives

5. Topic/Section is Positioned Here

1. Functional Architecture

1. Topic/Section is Positioned Here


Xxx
Xxx
Xxx

6. Topic/Section is Positioned Here


7. Topic/Section is Positioned Here

2. Topic/Section is Positioned Here


3. Topic/Section is Positioned Here

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 5

Course Outline [cont.]


Switch to notes view!

6
9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

This page is left blank intentionally

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 6

Course Objectives
Switch to notes view!

Welcome to UA06 Functional Description

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

 describe the functional architecture of the RNC for UMTS network


 describe modules functions and inter-relations
 follow the signaling and traffic paths inside and outside the equipment

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 7

Course Objectives [cont.]


Switch to notes view!

8
9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

This page is left blank intentionally

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 8

About this Student Guide




Conventions
used
in this guide
Switch
to notes
view!
Note
Provides you with additional information about the topic being discussed.
Although this information is not required knowledge, you might find it useful
or interesting.

Technical Reference
(1) 24.348.98 Points you to the exact section of Alcatel-Lucent Technical
Practices where you can find more information on the topic being discussed.

Warning
Alerts you to instances where non-compliance could result in equipment
damage or personal injury.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

Where you can get further information

9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

If you want further information you can refer to the following:


 Technical Practices for the specific product
 Technical support page on the Alcatel website: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 9

About this Student Guide [cont.]




Switch to notes view!

10
9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

This page is left blank intentionally

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 10

Self-assessment of Objectives
Contract number :

 At the end of each


Course title :
 Please, return this
Client (Company, Center) :
Language
:
Switch

section you will be asked to fill this questionnaire


sheet to the trainer at the end of the training
Dates from :

to notes view!

Number of trainees :

to :

Location :

Surname, First name :


Did you meet the following objectives ?
Tick the corresponding box
Please, return this sheet to the trainer at the end of the training

Instructional objectives
1

Yes (or
globally
yes)

No (or
globally
no)

To be able to XXX

2
11

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 11

Comments

Self-assessment of Objectives [cont.]


Switch to notes view!
Instructional objectives

12

Yes (or
Globally
yes)

No (or
globally
no)

Comments

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009

9370 RNC
UA06 Functional Description

Other comments

Thank you for your answers to this questionnaire

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2009


UA06 Functional Description - Page 12

Do not delete this graphic elements in here:

Situation in the UTRAN


3FLXXXXXXCAAWZZA

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Welcome to this e-learning training about the Alcatel-Lucent RNC.


You will find, next, the content and the objectives of this training.
Then you will start the training which ends with a test about the RNC.
At any time during the training, you can access the acronym list by clicking on the Attachments button at
the top right of the window.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Content
2

Content:
1. UTRAN Architecture
2. Radio and Network Protocols
3. RNC Functions

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

In this course, we are going to see a recap of the UTRAN architecture.


Then we will recall the radio and network protocols used in the UTRAN.
We will end by enumerating the functions performed by the RNC.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Objectives
3

Audience
Personnel in charge of network operation.
Objectives
Upon completion of this training, you should be able to situate the RNC in the UTRAN.

Estimated Duration
xx minutes

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Let's look first at the objectives of this training. The test at the end allows you to check if these objectives
have been reached.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 UTRAN Architecture

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Do you remember what the UTRAN is made up of?

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 UTRAN Architecture

Situation
5

UTRAN Network Elements (NEs) and Interfaces:


 UTRAN is a gateway between the UEs and the Core Network (CN).
 Each Radio Network Sub-system (RNS) is composed of one Radio Network Controller (RNC)
and a set of Nodes B linked to the RNC via the Iub interface.
 2 RNSs can be linked together via the Iur interface.
 Each RNC is linked to the CN via the Iu-CS and Iu-PS interfaces.

RNS

Uu

Iub

Iu-CS

9370 RNC

CSCN

BTS
RNS

Iur
Iu-PS

Iub

UE

9370 RNC

PSCN

BTS

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

UTRAN is like a gateway between the User Equipment (UE) and the Core Network. It receives data from the
Uu interface and sends it to the Core Network on the Iu interface, and inversely. The Uu interface is the air
interface where the WCDMA technology is used.
To be this gateway, the UTRAN is made up of several Radio Network Sub-Systems (RNSs). Each RNS is made
up of one and only one Radio Network Controller (RNC) and a set of Nodes B.
The RNC provides several interfaces: first the Iub interface towards a Node B, then the Iu-CS and Iu-PS
interfaces towards the Core Network and finally the Iur interface towards another RNC.
The Alcatel-Lucent UTRAN of the UMTS V5.0 comprises the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC, the Alcatel-Lucent
UMTS BTS and the W-NMS for the OAM part. Note that the W-NMS is the equivalent of the OMC-R in the
Alcatel-Lucent solution.
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC is the 9370 RNC. It is the 3GPP-compliant UMTS RNC developed by AlcatelLucent.
The UMTS 9370 RNC is based on the Multiservice Switch platform (commonly called MSS).
The RNC allows mobility between UMTS and GSM networks.
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS BTS is the 3GPP-compliant UMTS Node B developed by Alcatel-Lucent. The generic
term BTS designates the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS Internet Base Transceiver Station (Alcatel-Lucent UMTS BTS).
The current RNC can control up to 200 BTSs.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 UTRAN Architecture

Physical Situation
6

The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is made up of the 9370 RNC and an Alcatel-Lucent Transport Node.

Iub/
STM-1

Alcatel-Lucent
RNC

Iub/E1
ATM
backbone

BTS

Iu-CS

STM-1

Alcatel 9140
9370Server
RNC
RAN

MSC

Iu-PS
SGSN
ATM
backbone

Iur
Other
RNC

STM-1
Iub/E1

BTS

Transport Node
or PoC
(optional)

Itf-R
Itf-B

BTS
OMC

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The main functions of the RNC are to control and manage the Radio Access Network (RAN), the signaling
between the different Core Network components and the Radio Network Subsystem, and the Node Bs and
their corresponding radio resources.
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is composed of the 9370 RNC and an Alcatel-Lucent Transport Node which is
optional. It depends on the way to connect the Node B to the RNC. The 9370 RNC and the Transport Node
are linked by STM-1. The 9370 RNC will be called simply RNC in the next slides.
The RNC is linked by STM-1 links through an ATM backbone to the MSC and to the SGSN.
To handle handover, one 9370 RNC may be linked to several other RNCs. They can come from other
manufacturers and can pass through the Core Network (the MSC) or not, in case of local Iur with the soft
handovers.
As regards the BTS, there are 2 ways to connect the 9370 RNC to its BTS: either through an ATM backbone
where an STM-1 link is used on RNC side and an E1 link on BTS side or through E1 links. It is the Transport
Node which makes the conversion of STM-1 links into E1 links.
Concerning the operation and maintenance, the 9370 RNC is able to send O&M flows directly on STM-1 links
in which case we will talk about "INBAND Operation and Maintenance". The RNC is also able to send O&M
flows over a dedicated Ethernet cable which is called in this case "OUTBAND operation and maintenance".

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Refaire le trait et remplacer l'IP


+ revoir l'animation par rapport
au commentaire

1 UTRAN Architecture

Alcatel-Lucent RNC Evolution to IP

Iub/
STM-1

MSC

Alcatel-Lucent
RNC

Iub/E1

BTS

Iu-CS

STM-1

ATM
backbone

ATM
backbone

Iur
Other
RNC

9370 RNC
Eth
IP
backbone

GigE

GigE
Iu-PS

SGSN

Itf-R
Itf-B

OMC

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

In addition to ATM, the Alcatel-Lucent RNC supports IP transport on the Iub and Iu-PS interface.
A native IP Iub interface is introduced through a software upgrade and the addition of two 4-ports Gigabit
Ethernet boards on the RNC. No forklift is required and the existing STM-1 boards can be used for any
interfaces that remain on ATM transport.
IP/Ethernet interface is for HSDPA/HSUPA best effort traffic (Interactive and Background).
R99 services and Streaming on HSDPA, newly introduced in release UA06, is transported on ATM on the Iub
interface.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Radio and Network Protocols

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Now, let's have a look at the protocols used in the UTRAN.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Radio and Network Protocols

Radio Protocols
9

Radio protocols are used to exchange user data and signaling between the UE and the RNC.
Control
plane
RRC

Control
plane

User plane
Data

Voice

RRC

RLC

User plane
Data

Voice

CSCN

RLC

Logical channels

Logical channels

MAC

MAC

Transport channels

Transport channels

Iub-FP
AAL2
Physical
(WCDMA)

Physical
(WCDMA)
Physical
channels

Not
radio
protocols

Iub-FP
AAL2

ATM

ATM

Physical

Physical

Iub
Node B

UE

9370
RNC
1500
RNC

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

What's the purpose of the radio protocols?


The radio protocols are used to exchange signalling and traffic data between the UE and the RNC. All the
data, user data or signalling which has to be sent on the air interface has to be processed by the radio
protocol. As a consequence, the signalling between the RNC and the BTS to establish a new radio link is not
processed by the radio interface.
Lets see an example with the path of the voice across the protocol stacks in the UTRAN.
The voice is received from the Core Network by layer 3. It receives what we call the "Radio Bearer". There
are two planes at this level: the control plane and the user plane. The voice belongs to the user plane and
is not processed at this level. It goes the same for the data coming from the PS Core Network.
Then the Radio Bearer is sent to layer 2. This layer is made up of the Radio Link Control protocol (RLC
protocol) and the Medium Access Control protocol (MAC protocol). The RLC protocol mainly segments and
buffers the data. It also maps the radio bearer on the logical channels. The MAC protocol multiplexes
logical channels and maps them on transport channels.
After, the transport channels are sent to the Node B. At this level, they are processed by the network
protocols to send them on ATM.
These transport channels are received by the Node B which applies the network protocols to retrieve the
data and send it to the physical layer. To give an example, the physical layer applies the scrambling and
channelisation codes, modulates or amplifies the signal to send it on the feeders which are connected to
the antennas.
Next, the data are sent on the air and received by the UE. Its physical layer amplifies, applies the same
code in phase and demodulates the signal and other tasks. At this level, the UE retrieves the transport
channels. Then there are the same protocols as in the RNC.
On the control plane, the same protocols are used for layers 1 and 2. But on the layer 3, there is another
protocol called Radio Resource Control (RRC protocol). It is the highest protocol in the control plane. It
terminates all the signaling with the UE.
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Radio and Network Protocols

Radio Protocols: Evolution to IP

Les lments ont t bidouills


10

Radio protocols are used to exchange user data and signaling between the UE and the RNC.

User plane

User plane
Data

Voice

Data

RLC

RLC

Logical channels

Logical channels

MAC

MAC

Transport channels

Transport channels

Iub-FP
UDP/IP
Physical
(WCDMA)

Physical
(WCDMA)
Physical
channels

Not
radio
protocols

Iub-FP
UDP/IP

Ethernet

Ethernet

Physical

Physical

Iub

UE

Node B

9370
RNC
1500
RNC

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Dont forget that from release UA06, IP over Ethernet for HSPA traffic (Data Services) is still supported, at
the transport layer, but not for other types of services (including Streaming on HSPA). Indeed, these
services continue to use ATM as indicated previously.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Radio and Network Protocols

Network Protocols
11

Iu-FP/
AAL2
Iu-CS
NBAP/
AAL5

Iub-FP/
AAL2

MSC

Iub
RANAP/
AAL5

RNC

Iu-PS

Node B

Iur-FP/
AAL2

SGSN
Iur

RNSAP/
AAL5

Network protocols
in the control plane

Iu-FP/
AAL5

RNC

Network protocols
in the user plane

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The network protocols are used for the exchange of signaling and traffic data between the RNC and the
Node B (on the Iub interface), between two RNCs (on the Iur interface) and between the RNC and the CN
(on the Iu-CS and Iu-PS interfaces).
As for the radio protocols, there are two planes: the control plane and the user plane.
In the control plane, the first network protocol is the NBAP protocol. This protocol is used to exchange
specific signaling between the RNC and the Node B, like the addition of a new radio link. A second protocol
is the RNSAP protocol which is used to exchange specific signaling between two RNCs, mainly in case of
soft handover where 2 RNCs are involved. The last protocol is the RANAP protocol which is used to
exchange specific signaling between the RNC and the Core Network, like the release of a call for example.
All these protocols are conveyed on AAL5.
In the user plane, the Iub-FP and Iur-FP protocols are used to convey not only the traffic data but also
radio signaling (i.e RRC messages and NAS signal). On the other hand, the Iu-FP protocols are used to
convey traffic data only.
Note that PS traffic is conveyed on AAL2 on the Iub and Iur interfaces and on AAL5 on the Iu-PS interface.
An AAL2/AAL5 conversion is necessary for PS traffic in the RNC.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

12

3 RNC Functions

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Now, let's move on to the RNC functions.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

3 RNC Functions

What Is the Role of the RNC in the UTRAN?


13

Control of a set of Nodes B (Alcatel-Lucent BTS)

Radio resource management

Radio call control

Mobility Management
Add a new RAB
RNS
Iub
Iu-CS

9370

CSCN

RNC

BTS

Iur

RNS

Iu-PS

Iub

9370

UE

RNC

BTS

PSCN

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

What is the role of the RNC in the UTRAN?


First of all, the RNC controls a set of BTSs, up to 200 BTSs per RNC. Next, the RNC allocates radio resources
for example, power, the channelization or the scrambling code or a frequency. The RNC is also in charge of
radio call control in order to maintain the QoS required, to manage the radio connection (RRC connection)
and to provide the link with the core network. Finally, the RNC manages the mobility with mechanisms like
soft or hard handover. Indeed, the RNC is able to decide, perform and release different radio links
according to the movement of the UE.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

14

End of Module

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

This is the end of this e-learning training.


Thank you for your attention.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Do not delete this graphic elements in here:

Functional Architecture
3FLXXXXXXCAAWZZA

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Welcome to this e-learning training about the Alcatel-Lucent RNC.


You will find, next, the content and the objectives of this training.
Then you will start the training which ends with a test about the RNC.
At any time during the training, you can access the acronym list by clicking on the Attachments button at
the top right of the window.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Content
2

Content:
1. Functional Block Description
2. Signal Flows inside the RNC

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

In this course, we are going to describe each functional block of the RNC.
Then we will see the signal flows inside the RNC.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Objectives
3

Audience
Personnel in charge of network operation.
Objectives
Upon completion of this training, you should be able to describe the functional architecture
of the RNC

Estimated Duration
xx minutes

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Let's look first at the objectives of this training. The test at the end allows to check if these objectives
have been reached.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 Functional Block Description

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

First, let's discover the functional blocks of the RNC and what they are used to.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 Functional Block Description

Functional Block Types


5

RNC
CONTROL NODE
Transmission
Block

Iur

Control Plane Processing:


RRM
RRC
xxAP

Transmission
Block

Network
interface

Iu
Internal
switching

Network
interface

Network
interface
NBAP, RANAP,
RNSAP, ALCAP
AAL5 based
C-Plane Protocols
Iux FP, AAL2 based
U-Plane Protocols
RRC Protocol

Iub
INTERFACE NODE
High Touch Bearer Functions:
Header Compression
PDCP
RLC
Macro Diversity
MAC
FP Termination

Internal Control

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The RNC is made up of 4 main functional blocks.


The Control Node manages call establishment, so the control plane processing.
The Interface Node manages the traffic during the calls and also the control processing of the RNC.
The Internal switching interconnects all the other blocks between each other.
The last functional blocks are the transmission blocks which manage the network interfaces. In other
words, the transmission blocks connect the RNC to external equipment such as the Node B, the MSC or SGSN
in the core network or the OMC-R.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 Functional Block Description

Functional Block/Hardware Module Mapping


6

Utiliser le fichier 19.ai comme base. Le bloc 4pGigE


est optionnel (orthographe 4pGigE)

Packet
Server

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The RNC includes several types of hardware modules, each performing specific functions.
A first hardware module is the CP. The CP is the Control Processor. It manages and controls the system and
network functions and stores the data on its hard disk.
Then the RNC supports boards responsible for the transmission links. Each board has 16 ports for optical
connectors either in STM-1 or OC-3.
That's why they are called 16p OC-3/STM-1. This type of board connects the RNC with other Network
Elements for Iu, Iur and Iub connectivity.
Next we find the Packet Server or Dual Core Packet Server Functional Processor boards (which are also
called PS-FP or DSCP boards). These boards manage the bearer processing functions (for the user plane) as
well as the control plane processing. In fact, we could say that the PS-FP boards manage all the radio and
network functions of the RNC but they don't perform the management of the transmission links.
So the PS-FP boards are responsible for the Traffic Management with the Call Processing and the radio
functions, the management of the Radio Access Bearer at the MAC and RLC layers, the Network Interface
signaling with the SS7 protocol and finally the OAM Management.
Also optionally RNC could have two 4-port Gigabit Ethernet boards to provide the IP over Ethernet
connectivity on Iub and Iu-PS.
Finally the RNC includes an internal switch called "fabric module" or "switch Fabric". There are 2 fabric
modules working in load sharing, each one at 56.7 Gigabits per second. Each of these modules is
dimensioned to be able to process alone the maximum load of the RNC in case one of them is in failure.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 Functional Block Description

Control Processor: CP

Voir le fichier Aide.ppt. Cette illustration existe. Il


faut ajouter le bloc 4pGigE
7

Packet Server FP

Control Processor

Software
Downloading

Fabric
Module

Disk Management

Shelf Manager

16p OC3/STM1 FP

ATM Services
4p GigE FP
Ererer
Rererez
Rerezrzer
Reserve
Ererez
Erasers
Erase
Erere
Eraser
ererer

Maintaining
Routing Tables

WMS
Link to OA&M
(Ethernet 10/100 baseT)

IP Routing
(Virtual Router)

OAM Access

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The Control Processor (CP) manages all the resources of the RNC, its interfaces with the OMC-R and
contains a local disk for loads and logs.
The CP has a 1+1 redundancy scheme and uses a proprietary operating system built on VxWorks.
The hard disk in the CP module has a capacity of 20 GigaBytes for the storage of the firmware packages,
Provisioning Data, Software, Operational Files, Logs, Call Trace files.
Which functions does this hardware module perform?
The CP module controls basic functions such as loading, fault detection and sparing. It also manages the
routing functions of ATM connections. The CP module is also in charge of disk management and supplies an
Ethernet access to the OMC-R via its TCP/IP port. Then this module performs the IP routing function for
OMC-B/Node B links and supports the functional processors as well as the 2 fabric modules. The last
function of the CP module is to maintain the routing tables.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 Functional Block Description

Ajouter un bloc 4pGigE qui pointe vers de l'IP

Packet Server FP

Interface Node
CP
modules

Packet Server FP
AAL5 ATM cells
16P
OC-3/
STM-1 FP

Protocol
Converter
PMC

TCP / IP / AAL5

AAL5 ATM cells

Radio
Bearer
PMCs

Traffic
Management
Unit PMCs

AAL2 ATM cells

FP
modules

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The Packet Server Functional Processor module (or just PS-FP) is a board with 6 internal processors,
commonly called PMCs as those packet server functional processors are based on the internal open
architecture of PCI Mezzanine Cards.
Then each PS-FP board hosts 6 PMCs.
The PS-FP module is responsible for radio protocol handling (with the MAC, RLC and PDCP protocols) and
soft handover management. It performs the AAL2 function with segmentation and re-assembly as well as
the conversion of AAL2 into AAL5 for internal use or for Packet calls. The PS-FP module also manages the
termination of network protocols (such as RANAP, RNSAP, NBAP and ALCAP). Furthermore, it supplies RRM
support with the RRC protocol and algorithms for the QoS management, the call admission, the mobility or
the radio admission control. And finally it assures the IP routing for the OAM Management.
From release UA05.1.2, two types of Packet Server boards exist: PSFP and Dual Core Packet Server.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 Functional Block Description

Function Allocation of PMCs


9

PMC-PC AAL2
into IP/AAL5
Translation

PMC-TMU
Traffic
Management

PMC-RAB Radio
Processing
RLC, MAC, PDCP

PMC-NI
SS7 stack
MTP3b, SCCP
Active




PMC
Master
Active

PMC
Master
Passive

Packet Server FP #01

Packet Server FP #02

PMC
OMU
Active




The PMC-Master board is used only


on two (active and passive) PS-FP
modules.
1 PMC-PC per PS-FP
Up to 40 PMC-RAB per RNC
Up to 2 PMC-NI per RNC
Up to 14 PMC-TMU per RNC
Up to 2 PMC-OMU per RNC

Packet Server FP #03

Packet Server FP #12

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

Master

PC

TMU

Master

PC

TMU

PC

OMU

NI

PC

TMU

TMU

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

PMC

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

RAB

...

Fabric
interface

Fabric
interface

Fabric
interface

2 master PS-FP modules

Fabric
interface

Up to 10 other PS-FP modules


All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

We have just seen that each PS-FP module houses 6 PMC processors.
The PMCs are spared within each PS-FP module so that the failure of a single computing element could not
break off an entire PS-FP module.
Each PMC is dedicated to one function among 6 possible functions.
Indeed, a PMC can be used as PMC-Master for the management of all the other PMCs or as PMC-PC, a
Protocol Converter which is used for the AAL2/AAL5 conversion. It can be used as well as PMC-RAB with
Radio Access Bearers responsible for the user plane processing such as RLC, MAC protocols or Macro
diversity handover.
A PMC can also take the function of a PMC-NI providing a Network Interface which manages the SS7
signaling between network elements or else of a PMC-TMU, a Traffic Management Unit which supports the
software, manages the control plane processing such as NBAP, RANAP, RNSAP protocols as well as the
algorithms for the call establishment.
Finally a PMC can be a PMC-OMU, that is a PMC with OAM Management Units. This PMC manages the OAM
link including Performance management, Configuration, Fault Management, Call Trace Management, and so
on.
In any configuration of RNC, you find 2 PMC-Master, 2 PMC-NIs and 2 PMC-OMUs: one is active, the other is
in standby for redundancy purposes. In the case a PS-FP board manages a PMC-Master, we call it a Master
PS-FP.
Each PS-FP board also includes a PMC-PC for the conversion of AAL2 into AAL5.
The number of PMC-RABs and PMC-TMUs depends on the configuration of your RNC and obvioulsy, the more
PMCs, the highest the RNC capacity.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Bloc 4pGigE en cohrence avec les illus prcdentes

1 Functional Block Description

Fabric Module

10
Up to 14 FP modules

Updated Slide
2 CP

Up to 12 PS-FP

CP3

Fabric

Module

Port 1
..
..
..
..
..
Port 16

Backplane cell

16P
OC-3/
STM-1 FP

Packet
Server
FP

CP

ATM cell

2 16pOC-3/STM-1 and 2 4pGigE

Fabric

Port 1
..
..
..
..
..
Port 16
Header
5 octets

Port 1
..
..
..
..
..
Port 16

4P
GigE

Module

Port 1
..
..
..
..
..
Port 16

Payload = 48 octets

Header
7 octets

Payload = 60 octets

Padding

Trailer

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Each RNC contains 2 fabric modules working in load sharing and responsible for the internal ATM routing
between boards. They are located one above the other at the rear side of the shelf assembly.
A fabric module is dimensioned to work alone in case of failure of the other one. Therefore one fabric
module is able to support the whole traffic load of the RNC.
A single fabric module is a 16x16 non-blocking switch which provides each input and output port with a 3.2Gbit/s bandwidth, for a total throughput of 56.7 Gbit/s.
The cell switching is connectionless and self-routing. In addition, the RNC backplane cells are 68-byte long
with a 7-byte header. The ATM cell (of 53 bytes) is then included in the 60-byte payload.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

1 Functional Block Description

16pOC-3/STM-1 FP
11

Fabric

Module

Control
Processor
CP

Packet
Server
FP

ATM Processing & Mux-Demux


(AtmIf)
Cell mapping to:
 Emission Priority
 Discard Priority

Transport Network

Connection scheduler
PoC
Iub

Iu
Iub

Core
Network

Class scheduler

Node B
16 optical port interfaces
STM-1

Other
RNC

16pOC-3/STM-1 FP
9370 RNC

Iur

Node B
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The 16-port OC-3/STM-1 is a Functional Processor module that provides connectivity inside the RNC.
This FP module is the ATM interface module of the RNC for the Iu, Iub and Iur interfaces.
Note that all ports of the board are either of OC-3 type or of STM-1 type.
We will see later the recommended configurations of those optical ports and the protection solutions that
are enabled at port level.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Bloc 4pGigE en cohrence avec les illus prcdentes +


transport network

1 Functional Block Description

4pGigE FP

12

Fabric

New Slide

Module

Control
Processor
CP

Packet
Server
FP

IP encapsulation over Ethernet


(RFC 894)
IP Traffic Management,
including weighting
Fair queuing

Transport Network

16P
OC-3/
STM-1 FP

IP differentiated services
Iu-ps
Iub

Iub

Class scheduler

Core
Network

4 Giga Ethernet port interfaces


Ethernet

4p GigE

Node B

9370 RNC

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

The 4-port Gigabit Ethernet board is a Functional Processor module that provides IP connectivity.
This FP module is the Ethernet interface module of the RNC for the hybrid Iub and Iu-PS interfaces.
This board performs IP encapsulation over Ethernet and is able to manage IP differential services.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

13

2 Signal Flows inside the RNC

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

In this section, we are going to see by which blocks different signals are processed.
This section will give you a global view of the RNC and will help you to understand how each block
operates.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Signal Flows inside the 9370 RNC

Data Signal: Circuit Call Data Originated by UERseau IP en gris


14

9370 RNC

Packet
Server
FP
PMC-PC
Protocol
converter

Iub

User Plane:
 Dedicated channels
(traffic, control)
 Common channels

IP
PMC-TMU
RRC
RNSAP
ALCAP
NBAP
RANAP

PMC-RAB
RLC
MAC
FP
GTP

AAL2

AAL2

AAL2
16p
OC-3

AAL5

Fabric

Module

AAL2

Node B
Control Plane:
 NBAP
 ALCAP

AAL2

AAL5
GTP
NRT

AMR,
RT
U-Plane

AAL5
RANAP
ALCAP
C-Plane

Iu Interface
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

In this first example, a user is establishing a voice call while the mobile is sending traffic data to the RNC.
So this traffic has to be transferred to the Circuit core network.
You can see that the signal coming from the mobile through the Node B is received by the transmission
block in the STM-1 board in AAL2 format.
Then the data is sent through the internal fabric module to the PS-FP board. This board first converts the
ATM cells from the AAL2 format into the IP format which is understandable by the other PMCs.
Still inside the PS-FP board, the data is sent to be processed in the PMC-RAB in order to extract the voice
from the DCH transport channel.
Once at the output of the PMC-RAB, the voice is simply forwarded to the MSC in AAL2 format.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Signal Flows inside the 9370 RNC

Data Signal: Packet Call Data Originated by UERseau IP en gris


15

9370 RNC

Packet
Server
FP
PMC-PC
Protocol
converter

Iub

IP
PMC-TMU
RRC
RNSAP
NBAP
RANAP

PMC-RAB
RLC
MAC
FP
GTP

User Plane:
 Dedicated channels
(traffic, control)
 Common channels

AAL2

AAL2
16p
OC-3

AAL5

Fabric

Module

IP

Node B
Control Plane:
 NBAP
 ALCAP

AAL2

AAL5
GTP
NRT

AMR,
RT
U-Plane

AAL5
RANAP
ALCAP
C-Plane

Iu Interface
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Here is an example of packet call such as web browsing. Therefore the data has to be sent to the packet
Core Network.
In this example, the data is sent by the mobile. So the Node B receives the transport channel from the
mobile. Note that data can be carried over a dedicated or a common transport channel depending on the
amount of traffic to carry.
Next, the Node B forwards the transport channel over ATM in AAL2 format as always for the user plane on
the Iub interface.
As for a circuit call, the RNC receives the data through the STM-1 board (or 16 port OC-3) and processes this
data in the PS-FP board. Of course the signal is still going through the fabric module which interconnects
the different boards.
In the same way as voice, the AAL2 format is converted internally into IP to be understood by other PMCs.
The IP packets are then extracted from the transport and logical channels inside the PMC-RAB. In this PMC,
some specific protocols like GTP-U or UDP may be applied before forwarding the useful data to the SGSN.
In order to carry the IP packets from the RNC to the SGSN, you can notice that the data is still in AAL5
format at the output of the 16p OC3/STM-1 board.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Signal Flows inside the 9370 RNC

IP en
Data Signal: Packet Call Data Originated by UERseau
using
IPgris
16

Bloc 4pGigE en
cohrence avec les illus
prcdentes

9370 RNC

Packet
Server
FP
PMC-PC
Protocol
converter

Iub

IP
PMC-TMU
RRC
RNSAP
NBAP
RANAP

PMC-RAB
RLC
MAC
FP
GTP

User Plane:
 Dedicated channels
(traffic, control)
 Common channels

IP

IP
4p
GigE

AAL5

Fabric

Module

IP

Node B
Control Plane:
 NBAP
 ALCAP

IP
GTP
NRT
U-Plane

IP
RANAP
C-Plane

Iu Interface
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Here is an example of packet call using IP over Ethernet.


In this example, the data is sent by the mobile. So the Node B receives the transport channel from the
mobile.
Next, the Node B forwards the transport channel on IP over Ethernet for the User plane on the Iub
interface. The Control Plane still uses AAL5 ATM.
The RNC receives the data through the 4 ports Gigabit Ethernet and processes in the PS-FP board. Of course
the signal is still going through the fabric module which interconnects the different boards.
The PMC-PC maps the external IP address with internal IP address and it performs also IP
segmentation/reassembly for large IP packets. Then the IP packets are routed to the PMC-RAB. In this PMC,
some specific protocols like GTP-U or UDP may be applied before forwarding the useful data to the SGSN.
Then the IP packet is forwarded to SGSN by a Gigabit Ethernet interface.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Signal Flows inside the 9370 RNC

Rseaufrom
IP en gris
Network Control Signal: RRC Connection Message
UE
17

9370 RNC

Packet
Server
FP
PMC-PC
Protocol
converter

Iub

User Plane:
 Dedicated channels
(traffic, control)
 Common channels

IP
PMC-TMU
RRC
RNSAP
NBAP
RANAP

PMC-RAB
RLC
MAC
FP
GTP

AAL2

AAL2

AAL2
16p
OC-3

AAL5

Fabric

Module

AAL2

Node B
Control Plane:
 NBAP
 ALCAP

AAL2

AAL5
GTP
NRT

AMR,
RT
U-Plane

AAL5
RANAP
ALCAP
C-Plane

Iu Interface
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

This example shows a dedicated signalling between the RNC and a UE. The RNC receives the message sent
by the mobile. This message can be for example a measurement report sent when the UE is able to receive
a cell with a good quality.
The message is mapped on the logical Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH). This logical channel is then
mapped, by the MAC protocol, on the Dedicated transport Channel (DCH).
As the message goes through the air interface, it is transported by the user plane of the network protocol.
That means this USER signalling is seen as useful data between the Node B and the RNC, that's why it is
carried in AAL2 format.
Inside the RNC, the transmission block receives the STM-1 frame and extracts the ATM cells from this frame
in AAL2 format. Then the frame is sent to the PS-FP board through the "fabric module".
Inside the PS-FP board, as usual, the PMC-PC converts AAL2 into IP. Then the PMC-RAB demultiplexes the
logical channels from the transport channel with the MAC protocol and extracts the signalling radio bearer
from the logical channel thanks to the RLC protocol.
Finally this RRC message is sent to the PMC-TMU to be understood by the RRC protocol.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

2 Signal Flows inside the 9370 RNC

RseauBIP en gris
Network Control Signal: NBAP Message from Node
18

9370 RNC

Packet
Server
FP
PMC-PC
Protocol
converter

Iub

User Plane:
 Dedicated channels
(traffic, control)
 Common channels

IP
PMC-TMU
RRC
RNSAP
NBAP
RANAP

PMC-RAB
RLC
MAC
FP
GTP

AAL2
AAL5

AAL2

AAL5
16p
OC-3

AAL5

Fabric

Module

AAL5

Node B
Control Plane:
 NBAP
 ALCAP

AAL2

AAL5
GTP
NRT

AMR,
RT
U-Plane

AAL5
RANAP
ALCAP
C-Plane

Iu Interface
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

Let's now take the example of a network signalling, more precisely a signalling message between 2 network
elements.
We have illustrated here how an NBAP message sent by the BTS is processed in the RNC. Let's suppose this
message is the response of the BTS in a "Radio link establishment" procedure.
The message is received, first, by the transmission block on an STM-1 link.
As it is network signalling, the message is never sent on the air interface. So there is no channel to
demultiplex. This is the reason why the NBAP message is carried directly over ATM.
Moreover, as the NBAP message is carried over AAL5 like any other network application protocol, there is
no need to perform an AAL2-IP conversion.
So, the PMC-TMU simply receives the NBAP message and processes it with the NBAP protocol.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

19

End of Module

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent 2008

This is the end of this e-learning training.


Thank you for your attention.

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent

Last But One Page


Switch to notes view!

1
@@PRODUCT
@@COURSENAME

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent @@YEAR

This page is left blank intentionally

All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent @@YEAR


@@COURSENAME - Page 1

All rights reserved Alcatel-Lucent @@YEAR


Passing on and copying of this document, use and communication of its
contents not permitted without written authorization from Alcatel-Lucent
All Rights Reserved Alcatel-Lucent @@YEAR
@@COURSENAME - Page 2

You might also like